Proof: By Induction
(related to Proposition: Wilson's Condition for an Integer to be Prime)
"$\Rightarrow$"
- Assume $n:=p$ is a prime number.
- Obviously, for $p=2$, we have $1!=-1\mod 2.$ Therefore, assume $p > 2$ is odd.
- The polynomial $$f(x)=x^{p-1}-1-\prod_{m=1}^{p-1}(x-m)\label{eq:E18657a}\tag{1}$$ has the degree $p-2$, since the two terms in $f(x)$ involving $x^{p-1}$ cancel.
- Therefore, the polynomial (we look at it modulo $p$) can be written as $$f(x)\equiv c_0+c_1x+\cdots+c_{p-2}x^{p-2}\mod p,\label{eq:E18657b}\tag{2}$$ with some integers $c_0,c_1,\ldots,c_{p-2}\in\mathbb Z.$
- According to the necessary condition for an integer to be prime, we have that $(x^{p-1}-1)(p)\equiv 0(p)$ for $x\equiv 1,2,\ldots,p-1\mod p.$
- Moreover, the product $\prod_{m=1}^{p-1}(x-m)$ vanishes, since it has a factor equal to the congruence $0(p).$
- Therefore, the polynomial $(\ref{eq:E18657a})$ is constructed in such a way that it has the roots $x\equiv 1,2,\ldots,p-1\mod p.$
- But according to counting the roots of a diophantine polynomial modulo a prime number, $f(x)(p)\equiv 0(p)$ has at most $p-2$ roots, since it is of the degree $p-2.$
- Thus, since $p$ divides both sides of the equation $(\ref{eq:E18657b})$, the coefficients $c_0,c_1,\ldots,c_{p-2}$ must all be divisible by $p$, according to the divisibility law no. 6.
- In particular, $p$ divides $c_0=-1-(-1)^{p-1}(p-1)!.$
- This means that $(-1)^{p-1}(p-1)!\equiv -1\mod p,$ or $(p-1)!(p)\equiv -1(p),$ since $p$ is odd.
"$\Leftarrow$"
- Let $(n-1)!(n)\equiv -1(n).$
- According to congruence modulo a divisor, we have $(n-1)!(m)\equiv -1(m)$ for any divisor $m\mid n.$
- But if $m < n,$ then $m$ appears as a factor of $(n-1)!.$
- So $(n-1)!(m)\equiv 0(m),$ and hence $-1(m)\equiv 0(m).$
- By definition of congruence, this implies $m\mid -1,$ or $m=1.$
- Therefore, $n$ has only the trivial divisors $n$ and $1.$
- By definition of prime numbers, $n$ is prime.
∎
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References
Bibliography
- Landau, Edmund: "Vorlesungen über Zahlentheorie, Aus der Elementaren Zahlentheorie", S. Hirzel, Leipzig, 1927
- Jones G., Jones M.: "Elementary Number Theory (Undergraduate Series)", Springer, 1998